Elsa poked her head into the interior of the flying boat’s passenger cabin for a look—the layout inside was no different from an ordinary cruise ship, with two single beds placed facing each other, reading lamps thoughtfully arranged at the headboards, and a porthole between the two beds through which the scenery outside the flying boat could be seen.
She turned her head to look at everyone and said, “Then I’ll share a room with Reggie?”
Reggie nodded behind her.
Xuan Xi and the others continued forward.
The layout of the second room could not be said to be roughly similar to the first—it could only be said to be identical.
Halfway through the conversation, Xing Ye’s voice came from behind, “Veralis, you go with Sige.”
She paused and said, “And you, Xuan Xi, you’ll be staying with me.”
The corridor instantly fell silent.
Elsa’s gaze swept back and forth between Xing Ye and Xuan Xi, not daring to make a sound.
SigrdrÃfa stood right beside Xuan Xi, she turned her head to look at this Vice Principal, her gaze like a torch.
“Why?”
Xing Ye glanced at her, those deep crimson vertical pupils utterly unperturbed, as if she had long known Sige would ask this question.
“The Principal told me earlier that Xuan Xi is the core combat power for this competition, and she also serves as captain. As the supervising teacher, I need to confirm some matters with her. There shouldn’t be a problem with that, right? Student Sige.”
She gave Sige no chance to interject, “I’ve received your objection, but I choose to overrule it. This is my decision, and the Academy’s as well, Student SigrdrÃfa.”
SigrdrÃfa said nothing more, her gaze returning to Xuan Xi to ask her opinion.
Xuan Xi looked at the short figure in the corridor, walked over, and lowered her voice to say to Sige, “It’s fine, it’s only a few days anyway—once we get there… I’m yours to deal with.”
Her tone was very light, as if she did not want others, especially Xing Ye, to hear.
Hearing this, SigrdrÃfa could only nod, reluctantly agreeing.
Xing Ye had already pushed open the door to her room and walked in, leaving the door open for Xuan Xi.
The room Xing Ye had chosen was even more spacious than the previous two guest rooms combined, with two large beds against opposite walls and a walkway between them wide enough for two people to lie side by side.
The window was also larger than Elsa’s, and from here the clouds outside the flying boat were visible.
Xing Ye had already sat down on the edge of one bed, her legs unable to reach the floor and swinging back and forth in midair.
The door closed behind Xuan Xi.
She raised her head to look at Xuan Xi and patted the bed edge beside her.
“Sit.”
She skipped the pleasantries and spoke directly, “For these nine days from here to the Central Continent, you’ll share a room with me.”
Her voice was a little lower than it had been in the corridor, “As for Student SigrdrÃfa, you’ll have to explain it to her yourself. After all, it’s not convenient for me to step in.”
Xuan Xi stood by the bed without sitting down immediately.
Xing Ye looked up at her like this, her pink hair shimmering faintly under the light, her gaze full of clarity.
“Why me?” Xuan Xi asked.
Xing Ye withdrew her hand and placed it on her knee, patting her knee repeatedly as if weighing her words.
“Before we departed, the Principal came to find me. He said you’re the captain of this squad and told me to keep an eye on you. If there’s anything you need to adjust before the competition, he wanted me to lend a hand.”
Xuan Xi looked at her suspiciously without responding.
“Actually, I don’t really like taking on students.” Xing Ye continued, her gaze shifting away from Xuan Xi’s face.
“I’ve taken a few before, but they all gave up halfway, wasting my time for nothing.”
She paused then continued, “But you’re different. Since that old fox specifically named me to take you on, there must be a reason. I’ll teach you seriously, but I hope you’ll study seriously too. So for the time being, including the journey and the adaptation period after arriving at the Central Continent, you’d best room with me so I can observe how your spiritual energy flows. Before the competition, I’ll make some targeted adjustments based on your condition. Of course, once the competition comes, you can sleep with whoever you want—that’s your own business. I can tell you and that Student SigrdrÃfa have a special relationship.”
Xuan Xi looked down, observing the “short” Vice Principal.
“Observe?” she asked.
“Just observe? You won’t hold me and make me call you Mommy?”
“Just observe. What are you thinking?” Xing Ye said.
“Just follow your usual habits. No need to do anything deliberately.”
She withdrew her hand, and her two legs began swinging in the air like a swing again.
“During this time, I’ll do some targeted training based on your spiritual energy flow habits. Don’t worry, it won’t take up too much of your time, and it won’t delay you and your ‘friend’ from flirting.”
Outside the window, as time passed, the color of the sky shifted from pale gray to dark gold.
Dusk was approaching.
Xuan Xi was silent for a moment.
She hesitated for a while, then nodded, extended her hand, and said, “Then thank you, Vice Principal Xing Ye!”
Xing Ye looked at Xuan Xi’s hand extended before her and paused.
This was the first time she had encountered such a polite student.
Then she also extended her hand, and the two hands clasped together.
“Good, then it’s settled. Also, why are you still calling me Vice Principal?”
“Then I’ll be in your care, Teacher Xing Ye!” Xuan Xi corrected the address in time and said gratefully.
“Teacher, then my teammates…”
Xing Ye’s body had already lain down contentedly upon hearing the address, facing the wall, her two hands casually folded together.
“You can explain things to your teammates yourself. I can’t be bothered to get involved.”
She closed her mouth after saying this, ready to sleep.
The room fell silent all at once, leaving only the hum of the hull passing through air currents.
Xuan Xi sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze falling on the clouds dyed by the sunset outside the window, watching them drift one by one past the edge of her vision.
In the days that followed, the flying boat flew steadily toward the Central Continent.
During the day, Xing Ye did not appear before the others much.
She usually stayed by the helm on the deck adjusting the course, occasionally glancing at the sky and wind direction when she had spare time, then returning to piloting the flying boat.
But when it came time to sleep at night, she would sit on the bed, call Xuan Xi over, and observe her cultivation.
The first night, Xing Ye had her demonstrate the condensation and release of the Water Blade.
She only watched once before giving a very fair assessment.
“You can go slower. Don’t rush to form the blade edge so quickly—your edge is very brittle this way. Pay attention to feeling the flow path of your spiritual energy within your body.”
Xuan Xi re-condensed it according to her instructions, but the speed was nearly half as slow, because there was obvious obstruction when the spiritual energy formed the Water Blade.
However, she could feel that the Water Blade formed this way was far more durable than the ones she had generated before.
Xing Ye sat at the bed edge and watched the entire process, only saying one thing, “Starting now, practice this every night before bed. It doesn’t need to be long—a quarter of an hour is enough. Practice until there’s no obstruction at all.”